Horst Wessel Lied

The song 'Horst Wessel Lied' is a notorious piece of music due to its association with the Nazi Party during the era of the Third Reich in Germany. The lyrics were written by Horst Wessel, a Sturmabteilung (SA) member, who was later elevated to the status of a martyr by the Nazis after his death in 1930. The song served as the unofficial anthem of the Nazi Party and later as a co-national anthem of Nazi Germany, symbolizing the party's ideologies and its members' loyalty to Adolf Hitler.

The lyrics of the song are a call to arms for the members of the SA, the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. The opening line 'Die Fahne hoch!' (Raise the flag high!) is an exhortation to display the swastika, the emblem of the Nazi Party, with pride. The song speaks of the unity and readiness of the SA to fight against their perceived enemies, namely the 'Rotfront' (Red Front) and the 'Reaktion' (reactionaries or conservatives), which were terms used to describe communists and other political opponents. The reference to 'Kameraden' (comrades) who were killed by these enemies suggests a sense of martyrdom and the idea that their spirit lives on in the fight for the Nazi cause.

The song's lyrics also express a promise of a new dawn ('Der Tag für Freiheit und für Brot bricht an!') for Germany, implying freedom from oppression and economic stability, which were key elements of Nazi propaganda. The repeated call for the ranks to be tightly closed and the march to be steady reflects the militaristic discipline and unity that the SA prided itself on. The song's legacy is one of oppression and terror, as it became emblematic of the brutal regime that would lead to World War II and the Holocaust. It is banned in modern Germany due to its association with hate speech and the promotion of Nazi ideology.